Gabe: Are you excited about Obama?Me: super duper
and worried about ClintonGabe: how so?Me: her ambition is more important to her than a democrat winning in November
it was more than a little disturbing that she refused to concede last nightGabe: i hear youMe: if we lose in November, and lose this chance, it will almost certainly be because of her
but I am very happy with Obama
this is the first time in my life that I will be voting FOR someone for president, not simply the lesser of two evils
Gabe: how could she cause a loss in November?Me: she could cause a loss in any number of ways, including refusing to concede, continuing to say that Obama can’t win, continuing to say that McCain is more qualified to be commander in chief, convincing her supporters that she was “cheated” of what was “rightfully” hers, etc etc
her personal ambition is CLEARLY more important to her than the well being of the country
or I should say
more charitably, but still horrifying, that she identifies her personal ambition with the well being of the countryGabe: I think that’s common for people in her situation
There’s a lot of attention paid to her craven need for power
But everyone in politics is after power
(it is, after all, about status – and we all love status)
Some merely wear it more transparently than othersMe: But how many people were out of touch enough to allow the “appearance” of destroying their own party? How many other power hungry people in her situation still refused to concede when it was obvious to ANYONE that the race was over?

Me: btw, do you mind if I use this IM conversation as my blog post today?
…
I’ll take your silence as a “yes” :)Gabe: ha ha
i don’t mind

I sure as hell hope so. If you haven’t seen (or read) Obama’s speech on race (and care at all) click here. I found myself incredibly moved by the content of the speech (which I read beforehand) as well as its delivery. This was the first time in my political memory that someone stood up to declare that not everything can be reduced to a sound-bite, that issues such as race are complex. I have watched the political discourse in my country erode over the years to simple shouting matches with no real substance. I have watched the news media encourage this kind of simple blather. I have watched them avoid issues which didn’t reduce to neat mottos or phrases. I have watched this complete disservice to the American people in order to sell more scandal and acrimony. Obama took what could have been a crisis for his campaign and used it as a teaching moment, reaching out in a balanced and nuanced way to every American that has a stake, which is to say every American. His speech implored us to be honest with our feelings, and honest in searching for solutions. It appealed to the very best in all of us, and made me proud and humble at the same time. With every step forward such as this, I have a little more hope that we can move beyond the hatred and shouting matches and towards a politics of honest dialogue. This is why I support Obama.